Local chef Kim Nelson gets another 'Taste' of reality TV

Kim Nelson has been the owner of Daisy Cakes in Spartanburg since 2009. Before then, she had done just about everything in the food industry.

By BART BISHOPbart.bishop@shj.com

Kim Nelson has been the owner of Daisy Cakes in Spartanburg since 2009. Before then, she had done just about everything in the food industry.Her business, which she started with her mother, is known for making everything from scratch, including the packaging.After she won an investment of $50,000 on the reality TV show “Shark Tank” in 2011, Nelson's business has been booming.Now she is set to appear on the upcoming ABC reality cooking show “The Taste” at 8 p.m. Tuesday on ABC. Nelson calls her time on the show last September “an incredible experience.”“The Taste” has four judges, including celebrity chefs Nigella Lawson and Anthony Bourdain of “No Reservations,” who taste food while blindfolded, keeping the personalities of the 60 contestants out of the equation. Those who are selected join a team of four who are mentored by each judge, with teams competing against one another for the rest of the season.“It's like ‘The Voice,' ” Nelson said, referring to the popular musical competition show on NBC, “but with food!”She actually stumbled into auditioning for the show while she was in New York last summer talking about “Shark Tank.” She heard about a casting call through a mailing list she didn't even realize she was on, and she immediately ran to the nearest Whole Foods to buy grits for her “famous” shrimp and grits.After her audition, she got a call back that night.“I was told I needed to prepare for a four-week trip to Los Angeles,” she said, “just in case.”Whether she made the cut on “The Taste” remains to be seen. The two-hour premiere on Tuesday and the second episode on Jan. 29 will cover the audition process, with teams formed by the third episode.